The essay in question: a film review I wrote in 2019 about the horror movies “Hereditary” and “Midsommar.”
I blinked twice, rubbed my eyes, and then began digging around on the internet to understand.
To my astonishment, prosecutors had introduced my seven-year-old analysis of feminism’s relationship to horror cinema as “evidence of ideologically driven intent” the previous day.
…
The appearance of my review in the trial is a brazen attempt at conjuring “guilt by literature” — just one of the tactics prosecutors have used to criminalize speech and use First Amendment-protected speech as a legal weapon against the Trump administration’s political enemies.
Nobody, by the way, is suggesting that Estrada shot or conspired to shoot the officer. He stands accused of two crimes: attempting to conceal documents “by transporting a box containing numerous Antifa materials” and conspiracy to conceal those zines. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Goddam USA has thought police now! Americans can now officially be accused of thought crimes!
The absolute worst thing there has been warned about since the term was coined by George Orwell.
A key thing that was not supposed to be able to happen in a democracy!
But USA is not a democracy, and Federal agencies like ICE, FBI and NSA are now the Gestapo and the SS (Schutzstaffel) of the Trump regime. And some Americans think there will still be fair elections?!